March in Laos: A Stroll Through Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a lovely little town quite deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage status. Despite the many tourists, it retains a peaceful atmosphere augmented by the frangipani trees lining the main street.

The architecture was fairly simple with graceful curves reaching to the sky.

We went into the Royal Palace Museum where the beautiful side halls were offset by coconut palms.

There was a rather strange Soviet-inspired statue of (most likely) King Sisavang Vong, the longest ruling monarch of Laos. In fact, his rule was so long that he was only surpassed by King Bhumibol of Thailand in 2001.

Pardon the poor photography, but I think you get the idea of the pretty vista leading up to the main hall.

The main reason to visit the museum is to see the Pha Bang, which is what Luang Prabang is named after. This Buddha image cast in gold and finished with precious stones is believed to protect the city and give legitimacy to the ruler in possession of it. Too bad no pictures were allowed. It was pretty though rather smaller than I expected.

The rest of the museum wasn’t particularly interesting bar a rather impressive sword and weapon display. I liked the ornate door panelling at some of the halls too.

Next, Siamese Cat and I climbed up to That Chomsi, the golden spire at the top of Luang Prabang hill. It was a pretty strenuous hike up the many stairs. Good thing there were lots of signs proclaiming the number of steps to the top.

The spires can be seen from most locations in the town. It’s especially pretty seeing it up close at the top.

The main reward for reaching the top was the fabulous view. You could see the settlement stretching out along the neatly laid roads…